1Laboratory of Cellular and Structural Biology, The Rockefeller University, 2Institute for Systems Genetics, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University School of Medicine

Transition metals are found everywhere from vitamin supplements to electroplating baths. Transition metals also make up the pigments in many paints and compose all minerals. Typically, transition metals are found in the cationic form since they readily oxidize, or lose electrons, and are surrounded by electron donors called ligands. These ligands do not form ionic or covalent bonds with the metal center, rather they take on a third type of bond known as coordinate-covalent. The coordinate-covalent bond between a ligand and a metal is dynamic, meaning that ligands are continuously exchanging and re-coordinating around the metal center. The identities of both the metal and the ligand dictates which ligands will bond preferentially over another. In addition, color and magnetic properties are also due to the types of complexes that are formed. The coordination compounds that form are analyzed using a variety of instruments and tools. This experiment explores why so many complexes are possible and uses a spectrochemical (color and chemical) method to help identify the type of coordination complex that forms.…

1Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Applied Science, National Defense Academy of Japan, 2Department of Applied Physics, School of Applied Science, National Defense Academy of Japan, 3Department of Materials Science and Technology, Faculty of Engineering, Niigata University

1Center for Theoretical Problems of Physicochemical Pharmacology, Russian Academy of Sciences, 2Federal Research Center of Pediatric Hematology, Oncology and Immunology, Moscow, Russia, 3Physiology Department, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania

1Faculty of Pharmacy, The University of Sydney, 2School of Science and Health, University of Western Sydney, 3Division of Chemistry and Environmental Science, School of Science and the Environment, Manchester Metropolitan University, 4Nature Publishing Group

JoVE Archive

Follow JoVE

About JoVE

JoVE (Journal of Visualized Experiments) is the world’s first PubMed-indexed scientific video journal. Its mission is to advance scientific research and education by increasing productivity, reproducibility, and efficiency of knowledge transfer for scientists, educators, and students worldwide through visual learning solutions.